


The Muse to My Melody

by thegirlinthefandom



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Drama, Eventual Smut, Gay Keith (Voltron), I need coffee, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn, what are tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-09-23 18:03:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9670031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlinthefandom/pseuds/thegirlinthefandom
Summary: Lance and Hunk are aspiring musicians just looking for the right time to be heard. Keith, Pidge, Shiro, and Rolo are part of the most well-known band in the world, Voltron. As Hunk and Lance get ready to go see the band live, it seems a few members of the band are having their own issues. Voltron ends up needing a new drummer by the end of the night and Hunk gets the gig, but when Keith also can't perform, it's up to Lance to take the place of his long-time idol and now rival. But as time passes, the two learn to work together in harmony, that is... until their past muses enter their lives once again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got the time to write the first chapter of my second fic!! I've been thinking about this idea for about a week or two now and I have most of it all planned out. I'll put the song link in the fic where you should start to play it as you read along. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!!

“Lance! Hurry we’re going to be late to the concert!”

“Geez Hunk, calm down, it’s in two hours, we’re not going to be late.”

Lance leisurely applied his avocado face mask on his skin before he turned to watch his paranoid roommate stare at him with his arms crossed over his chest, and thought of a response. “Besides, what if I happen to meet the future Mrs. or Mr. McClain tonight.”

Hunk rolled his eyes. “I hope whoever you end up with has more patience than I do.”

“I thought patience was your middle name.”

“Yes. It usually is. Though it's wearing thin right now, so I’m giving you fifteen more minutes.”

Lance had groaned before he began to rinse the mask off. “Fine but if I find my soulmate and they think my pores are disgusting, then it’s on you buddy.”

Hunk smugly smiled at his best friend. “You look fine. It’s not like Takashi Shirogane will see your pores from the stage.”

“HE MIGHT.”

“So dramatic, anyways now you have ten.”

“Hunk!”

 

* * *

 

“You’re off beat.”

“Oh yeah, because you know _so_ much about drumming, Keith.”

The lead vocalist furrowed his brows trying to suppress the anger stirring inside as he turned around to face his boyfriend of almost a year.

“I know that something isn’t right, feel like the rhythm is completely off.”

“Have you considered it might be because you can’t keep up with your vocals?”

“Rolo, please… Just. Slow. Down. The. Tempo.”

“How about you watch your tone asshole!“

“Both of you! Stop fighting and yelling at each other. We have a show in an hour, and I’m already in a shitty mood.”

The lead guitarist stepped in between the couple as he tried to make peace with the situation. Shiro had realized that Keith and Rolo had been having miscommunication issues in their relationship for at least three months now. However, what he didn’t know was how dire the situation had gotten until he saw bruises on his younger brother’s shoulder that morning. Keith never told Shiro what happened, but his older brother wasn’t an idiot. He knew the signs for when abuse in a relationship became more than verbal. But unfortunately, for now, they didn’t have another drummer for the show, so he’d put his feelings aside until then.

“And Rolo,”

Too bad they got the best of him.

“Listen to Keith and don’t even try to piss me off.”

Keith squinted as he watched the serious manner his brother was eyeing his boyfriend with when a realization hit him. ‘Oh shit, he knows about the bruise.’

While Rolo sighed and slumped back on his stool as he looked up to speak.

“I’m sorry babe, we’ll go at your pace okay.”

Keith stood wide eyed in disbelief and a bit of fear at the sudden change in Rolo’s voice.

“Yeah.. okay.”

* * *

 

“Pidge, did Matt get the amplifiers all hooked up?”

The nineteen-year-old bassist took a break from tuning her instrument to respond to the stressed out woman hovering over her. “Don’t worry Allura, everything should be ready to go for the show tonight.”

Allura seemed to loosen her tensed shoulders as she found relief in those words. It was a stressful job managing a band of young adults, especially in the recent events. The tension in the air between Keith and Rolo was dense enough to cut through. Her boyfriend had been concerned about his younger brother and rightfully so.

“Allura, can I steal you for a sec, princess?”

The manager turned to face her boyfriend, and though they had been dating for three years, his voice always made her heart skip a beat. Shiro and Allura never seemed to lose their initial spark and only appeared to fall more in love with each passing day. With the large chunk of time the two had been together, it would be expected for them to be over the middle school crush phase, and yet, Allura still blushed in embarrassment every time Shiro called her his princess.

Pidge finally spoke. “God Shiro, can you not break your girlfriend every time you use your sickeningly adorable nicknames for each other? M-ace me sick.”

Shiro laughed at the bassist. “Go make your terrible puns somewhere else nerd.”

“My puns are fantastic, excuse yourself!”

“Ah sis, give them their alone time.”

Pidge rotated her head to see her annoying brother lying down by the speakers. He continued to speak. “besides, I need you to check the synthesizer, it’s making weird noises.”

“Are you sure that isn’t just your voice Matt. That’s a rather odd sound in itself.”

“Ha ha, hysterical, you know It isn’t a good idea to mock the sound guy right before your show you little gremlin.”

As the two siblings continued to bicker, the walked off the stage to the sound room, leaving the older couple alone. Shiro was the first to speak.

“So now that they’re gone, I need to talk to you about one of the members.”

“Is this about Rolo and Keith’s relationship.”

The lead guitarist took a seat on the edge of the stage as he took a breath. “Yes… Allura I’m- I’m so concerned about him.”

Allura kneeled beside her boyfriend and took his hand in an effort to ease his worry. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

So Shiro explained what he thought was the likely cause of the bruise he noticed on Keith’s shoulder. He explained to Allura the guilt he was feeling. The twenty-seven-year-old always felt like it was his job to protect his younger brother from harm. Which is why he felt responsible for what happened, kept wondering if he should’ve reacted to the signs earlier. Allura squeezed his palm tighter with her own and locked eyes with her boyfriend’s.

“Shiro… It’s not your fault. Even if you did try to prevent it from happening, do you honestly believe Keith would’ve listened to you? Your brother is one of the most stubborn people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing, I understand your desire to protect him, but you should also realize that something like this would’ve happened eventually. It’s up to Keith to decide what he wants, he’s twenty-one years old now darling. He’ll be able to make the right decision.” Allura hesitated before speaking again. “But I will not have that hooligan continue being the band’s drummer. After tonight I’ll give him a piece of my mind and then fire the bastard.”

Shiro didn’t take his eyes off the woman sitting next to him. The woman he fell deeply and irretrievably in love with, and it seemed, every day he was reassured by that fact. The lines of worry on his face began to fade as his features became softer. He wondered to himself what he ever did to deserve her.?

“Thank you, Allura…”

He gently held her palm and brought it to his lips as he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“What would I do without you?”

Allura smiled. “Nothing because that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Shiro extended his arm and lifted his girlfriend’s sharp chin up as he leaned in for a kiss. They stayed that way for a few seconds before he pulled away and whispered the words.

“I love you.”

Allura blushed and giggled as she responded. “I love you too.”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe Coran was able to get these seats for us. We’re so close to the stage!”

“See I told you we wouldn’t be late, and even if we were, Coran and I are best buds.” Lance crossed his chest and leaned back in his chair smiling smugly at his best friend who was devouring a plate full of nachos. “He would’ve got us covered!”

“Uh huh, Do you even know how he got these tickets?”

The brunet paused for a second trying to find an answer in his head. “Actually… no, I never thought to ask. He just told me he had third-row seat tickets for Voltron and honestly, considering how many strange adventures that man has been on, I didn’t even know if I wanted to question it. Plus it’s Voltron Hunk,” Lance tried to contain his excitement but kept moving his legs and had the widest smile plastered on his face. “VOLTRON!”

“Fair point.” Hunk had stopped for a second before a thought came into his head. “Hmm. now that I think about it, Shiro probably will be able to see your pores after all.”

“HUNK!”

Before the two could continue their exchange, the lights began to dim, and the crowd started to cheer. The large venue was almost pitch black until there were flashes of red, green and purple light. Smoke began to cloud the stage as silhouettes could be seen emerging from the bottom of the stage. As the smoke cleared, the figures became recognizable. Lance gawked in awe at sight. The one farthest to his right was Takashi Shirogane. Lance could easily tell by the short black hair and the white fringe, he was wearing a simple white tee with a black sleeveless vest accompanied by basic black jeans and boots. His eyes moved away from his idol to identify the other remaining members of the band. The shorter girl to the farthest left holding a green bass was Katie Pidge Holt. She apparently didn’t believe in contacts because even on stage she had her glasses on but the wide frames complimented her slender face shape. Her shoulder length hair was a caramel shade of brown, and she also went for a simple look with just a forest green tank top and black jeans. As his eyes moved to the back to the tan skinned, platinum blonde drummer, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The twenty-one-year-old identified the man as Rolo, he was wearing a white tank top paired with a dark gray leather vest. If he was completely honest with himself, he definitely disliked this guy most out of the four.

 Then last but certainly not least, there was none other than Keith Kogane.

While the rest of the band opted for a casual look, Keith’s was anything but. He sported a white crop top with the words ‘The Only Str8 I am is Straight Up Bitch’ In red print. It seemed he was the only one with tattoos as well, there were blades inked on each shoulder. One red and flaming while the other Blue and purple with a curved symbol on the handle. They complimented his pale skin tone, in stark contrast to his shaggy dark mullet which was pulled into a small ponytail at the back of his neck. The outfit was paired with black fingerless gloves as well as the same color skinny jeans. His boots were black and white with red laces.

 Lance would be lying if he said Keith had never caught his eye, so much so that it seemed he could never get him out of his head. There was something about the lean man’s edgy vibe that left him as a mystery that the aspiring singer/songwriter so desperately wanted to figure out. Lance had always idolized Shiro, but he also wanted more than anything to be as good as Keith someday. When it came to lyrical genius as well as defined vocals, to Lance, the bar had never been higher.

After Shiro had introduced the band, Pidge began to play the [first](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trgft9cScOU) notes on the synthesizer and Rolo came in with the beat. Keith brought the mic to his lips and joined in to deliver the first verse.

 _Staring at the ceiling in the dark_  
Sheets are in a knot  
My heart is like a rock

Lance had heard Keith’s voice before since he had all the band’s previous albums but hearing it live was a different feeling altogether. His voice had a certain distinct smoothness to it that was hard to describe. The lyrics swiftly rolled off his tongue as he kept his expression calm, making it all look so effortless.

_I keep running away, running away  
Running away from you_

Even as the first verse came to an end and the transition to the much higher notes of the chorus was nothing he couldn’t handle. The way Keith Kogane carried himself oozed with confidence and a hint of arrogance. No doubt about it, he knew what his strengths and weakness were and how to apply them to his performance.

_Cause I know, the second you go  
Want you to bring it on back_

Even as he slowly walked over near the drums, still singing and tapping a finger on his thigh, there was a swagger in his step. Sending a sultry smirk to the drummer.

 _And you know I want your chokehold_  
Want you to bring it on back  
Bring it on back  
Bring it on back to me

As Lance watched the subtle but telling exchange, he felt his stomach sink. He wondered what the singer’s relationship was the drummer. He heard the crowd whistling as Rolo sent Keith a wink and a kiss and it didn’t take him long to put the pieces together. A frown came over his features as he thought to himself ‘aaannd, of course, they’re fucking.’

“Well yeah, they’ve been together for almost a year now buddy.”

The twenty-one-year-old didn’t realize he was thinking aloud till he heard his best friend’s voice. He tried not to sound disappointed in his own response. He wasn’t even sure why the fact bothered him as much as it did. “That makes sense.”

He diverted his attention back to the black haired vocalist who had walked back to the center. However, there was a change in his expression. While his voice was still steady and key, his the initial smug appearance of his features faded into what seemed like confusion and also… anger?

Lance stayed entirely fixated on the mulleted lead vocalist who carried on with the song and smiled at both Shiro and Pidge on his sides. Lance could tell the members had a strong friendship as their relationship didn’t end outside rehearsals. Voltron was very close-knit, or at least, most of them were. The brunet had a weird feeling that Rolo just didn’t fit in the group. The aura the other three gave off didn’t match his. Lance didn’t know if he was thinking rationally or instinctively, but Rolo definitely rubbed him the wrong way. He decided to push the thought away for now and enjoy the rest of the concert. The band went through almost their entire setlist with consistent stamina. Only after their fifth or sixth song did they begin to actually break a sweat, it was almost inhuman. Both Hunk and Lance watched in awe as none of them seemed to show any signs of fatigue after performing for what seemed like two hours. They must’ve been used to it by now. After the last few chords had ended their eleventh track, Shiro walked up to his mic stand and spoke into it.

“The show is almost coming to an end, but we have one more song for you.”

After the screaming crowd had settled down, Shiro turned to look at Keith as he said: “Take it away.”

Keith smiled at his brother as he walked up to the front of the stage. He looked down, as if hesitant to speak but brought the mic to his lips anyways.

“This next song was written for a certain someone in my life… Someone, I thought I loved, and who I thought loved me.”

Lance could hear the initial shakiness in his voice. Keith didn’t mention a name for the person, but the brunet was perceptive enough to know right off the bat who the singer was referring to. His eyes darted to the drummer behind the singer, who was now watching his boyfriend with furrowed brows as he and the rest of the band members got ready to head off the stage. Keith looked over at him one last time as well and swallowed hard before turning back to face the audience.

“But I soon learned that love isn’t selfish… And it doesn’t make you fear the person you’re with, it shouldn’t give you feelings of inferiority and make you doubt your self-worth. And under no circumstances should it ever make you try to change yourself and hold you back in being who you are.”

Keith paused for a minute, and Lance could hear the anger and sadness in the deepness of his voice. There was so much Keith kept pent up inside. So much Lance himself also had to hide. The words struck him like lightning as their resonance was so parallel to his own emotions.

“So the people who have experienced this feeling the way I did, this song is for you.”

As the lights [began ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFb-df89qd0)to dim and the first notes of a piano were heard, a magenta colored spotlight shined on Keith. He looked up and began to sing.

_You say you want the truth  
But you can’t take it_

_So I give you lies  
I give you lies_

Lance watched through the corner of his eyes as almost everyone in the crowd began to clap to the beat of the music and joined in as he brought his eyes back onto the vocalist.

_You say you want the best  
But you destroy it_

_So I keep it inside  
I keep it inside_

Keith’s voice was slow and quiet but held it’s weight in emotions. They were pulling him down like an anchor as he struggled to hold back the tears that would inevitably roll down his cheeks. Watching Keith Kogane, one of his idols, in such a vulnerable state made Lance’s own eyes widen and his jaw slowly drop.

_So there I said it  
And I won’t apologize to you anymore_

With his head held high, the singer let every single one of those emotions be heard through the power of his vocals.

 _And I’m sick and tired of livin’ in your shadows_  
  
So there I said it

While the rest of the audience continued clapping, Lance subconsciously slowed down his hands and lost all ability to focus on anything except the figure on stage. His eyes clung to the man in front of him not wanting to let go anytime soon. He didn’t believe this was the same Keith that he spent years trying to catch up to. The same Keith who wouldn’t dare have a flaw to his name. The same person who somehow managed to bring the mullet back into style. Keith always looked as if he knew exactly what he was doing, but at this moment, as Lance watched his heart-wrenching performance, the brunet quickly realized, he had absolutely no idea who Keith Kogane was.

No, Keith Kogane was more than just a beautiful face and a gorgeous voice. He was broken under that picture-perfect façade. It became apparent as the tears kept rolling down his hollowed cheekbones. Even in such an emotional state, the brunets, blue eyes hadn’t seen anyone more beautiful in his life. Or frankly, ever connected to anyone the way he felt magnetically gravitated towards the dark haired singer. Keith was completely transparent, and Lance could feel every emotion stirring inside him. Anger, doubt, sorrow, loss, grief, acceptance, relief, all of which he knew too well.

He was pulled out of his own thoughts when he noticed the crowd holding their phones up as flashlights while they sang along. Keith also seemed to be in a lighter mood when he saw the positive reaction from the audience. A small grin fell upon his tired features, and as Lance watched the change, he also couldn’t help but smile. It made him happy to see his idol get back on his feet and fully show the world his vulnerable side. He knew it must’ve been difficult for the twenty-one-year-old to come to terms with his feelings and even harder for him to open up about his personal struggles to over ten thousand people in an arena.

As the song came to an end, the entire audience rose up to deliver a standing ovation to the humble vocalist smiling with his head down while wiping his tears. As the cheering came to a gradual silence, Keith looked back up and shot the audience the most radiant smile as he shouted.

“Goodnight Houston, Texas!”

And in that second, Lance was hopelessly and desperately screwed. 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betchya thought you'd seen the last of this fic due to my error in chapter numbers... Well I have RETURNED!! This chapter won't focus on Klance too much but don't worry, you'll have an interesting third chapter ahead :3 Be ready for the pining. For now though, I want to focus on our beautiful sunshine boy in this chapter bc Hunk just does not get enough love and I adore that boy with every fiber of my being. Enjoy Hunk being a badass! <3

 “Rolo, we’re done.”

The blonde was staring his drumsticks in his bag as he looked up at his boyfriend.

“Done with what?”

Keith leaned on the wall beside him. “Our relationship.” The twenty-one-year-old hesitated before turning to lock his violet eyes with Rolo’s golden ones. “You crossed the line the other morning. I knew we were having issues, and there were many things I would’ve been able to overlook, but this,” He rolled up his sleeve, so the purple bruise on his shoulder showed visibly. “this was not acceptable.”

Rolo sighed and looked down as he let out what seemed like a forced apology. “Keith, I’m sorry.”

But the dark-haired singer wasn’t falling for his bullshit anymore.

“Sorry won’t cut it at this point. You’ve apologized too many times already for it to mean anything anymore.”

Rolo furrowed his brows. “And what about the band? Things are going to be awkward now.”

Keith crossed his arms as he had a satisfied smile on his face. “Oh don’t worry about that, you’re not part of it anymore.”

The blonde questioned through gritted teeth. “What?”

“I already spoke to Shiro and Allura, sorry Rolo but I don’t want you anywhere near me, and neither do they. In fact, you got lucky that it was just me to be the bearer of bad news, considering the alternative was my brother’s girlfriend.”

Keith watched calmly from a few feet distance as his now ex-boyfriend kicked the drum stool to the ground and exited the rehearsal room “This is fucking ridiculous, you know what, good luck finding a better drummer than me!”

“Something tells me we most likely will.”

Even as he heard Rolo’s muffled cursing and insults to him and his band, Keith couldn’t help but feel like a weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders and smiled to himself. It was a good feeling, one he could get used to

 

* * *

With Rolo out of the picture, the band now had a new problem at hand. They had to find a new drummer in the span of four days to be able to perform at their next show. Thankfully it was only a small gig, for a fundraising event so they wouldn’t need to play too many songs. But finding a drummer in four days seemed almost impossible. Shiro sat in the studio overcome with frustration on what their next step should be. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a door creak open behind him. Relief came over him when he heard Allura’s calming voice.

“Shiro, I wanted to let you know that my Uncle Coran came to visit. I let him know the situation, and he thinks he has the solution.”

At that, Shiro’s eyes lit up. Of course, how could he forget, Allura’s uncle was the top music professor at Garrison University, he was bound to know some talented drummers.

Shiro quickly rose from his seat and walked next to his girlfriend into the rehearsal room to find the older man chatting away with Pidge and Matt about the time he went toe to toe with a dingo. The former looking disgruntled and confused and the latter looking extremely amused at Coran’s strange life encounters.

“You should’ve seen the beast, Matt! It almost tore my leg off, but I grabbed it by the neck, wrapped my arms around like so and hit its pressure point! 1-2-3, Sleepy time!”

“Woah, how does a sixty-year-old man like you fight off a dingo?”

“I’m only fifty-six!”

Allura and Shiro went to stand beside the two as the former spoke. “Kickboxing, me and Coran go every Tuesday and Thursday.” Shiro cleared his throat to speak. “I’d love to continue this conversation but Coran, you said you had a solution to our drummer issue?”

“Oh yes! Every Saturday evening, my music room is open to student drummers. Each day is for different musicians to come have a place to relax and play their instruments.”

Shiro was impressed. “That’s… amazing. I bet all your students love having you as an instructor.”

Coran stroked his mustache. “I suppose, I don’t actually see too many musicians come to them but those who care enough about it and are passionate about it usually attend. Which is why I want you all to come tonight. If anyone’s going to be your new drummer, it’ll be one of them.”

The guitarist smiled at the music professor. “We’ll definitely be there Coran, I can’t thank you enough for this.”

“Oh there’s no need, just take good care of my niece pretty boy. I’ve fought at least seven crocodiles in my lifetime,  one kangaroo, there was another time with a wild panther-“

“Uh- Thank you for that uncle,” Noticing Shiro’s now frightened features, Allura interrupted to ease her boyfriend’s nerves. “I-um- think he understands the point. Once again thank you so much. We will see you then!”

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you can’t make it to my session today?”

Lance was on the line with Hunk in the breakroom of the university coffee shop. He and Hunk would usually go to most of Coran’s open music session’s together, but tonight, he would just have to miss.

“Hunk, my shift doesn’t end til 9 pm today. I’m sorry buddy I need the extra cash for a new guitar.”

“Aw man. Okay, I’m just anxious, this is the first time I’m going alone.”

Lance could hear the shakiness in Hunk’s voice. He felt bad that he wasn’t able to attend the session especially knowing how terrible his friend’s anxiety could become. The bartender tried to think of a way to calm his friend down. “I know bud, but think of it this way. Not many students go to the sessions anymore anyways. It’ll probably just be you, a small number of kids and Coran. And hey, if you’re still feeling anxious, he’ll probably give you a private room if you ask. Don’t sweat it, you’ll be fine!”

Hunk was restlessly spinning his drumsticks in between his fingers in their dorm room trying to calm himself down. Thankfully his friend’s sensible advice relaxed his nerves. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thanks for that Lance.”

Glad to hear his advice worked, Lance let out a chuckle. “Don’t mention it, dude. You’ll be fine I promise, now I gotta go, or Kolivan will be on my ass.”

“You’re not on break are you?”

“Nope. Bye, Hunk!”

Hunk rolled his eyes at his phone and slid his drumsticks in his backpack as he headed to the music building.

“I’ll be okay. I mean, it’s not like anyone important is gonna show up. It’s just a practice session.” The twenty-one-year-old drummer stopped in his tracks as he reached the steps of Arus Hall. He took a deep breath. “You got this Hunk.”

 

* * *

 

“Why did Coran tell us to be here an hour and a half early if he isn’t even here yet.”

Shiro spoke from the driver’s seat of the band van. “Because Pidge, the session doesn’t start til eight and the last classes of the day end around five. He probably didn’t want the university students to know we were here because then we’d be bombarded by fangirls.”

“More like only you and Keith would be bombarded by fangirls. Which is ironic considering one of you is gayer than a unicorn throwing up rainbows, and you’re in a relationship with possibly the strongest woman on the planet. Seems like they have a death wish or just really enjoy disappointment.”

“Ahem, excuse me little sis, but I’m sure those fangirls are all for me.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Matt, they’ve seen your face a total of one time, and that was when you fell on stage when setting up the lights at the last minute before our third show.”

“That was all it took for them to fall deeply in love with my devastatingly good looks.”

His sister opened her mouth to speak, but Keith beat her to it. “Yes, your broken glasses _really_ complimented the appeal of your asymmetric face.”

Hearing Keith’s remark paired with his deadpan face made Pidge lose her shit. She couldn’t hold the cackling in anymore as she turned to see Matt’s face turn red with embarrassment. The van fell silent when the band heard a knock on the back window. Pidge, Keith, and Matt turned around to see Coran’s face inches apart from the window. The older man moved to the driver's side as Shiro rolled down his window. Allura spoke. “Is the university empty?”

“Yes! I was waiting for just the right moment to sneak you in through the back of Arus Hall. I have cameras set up in the building so that you can run surveillance in the auditorium. Some drummers ask for separate rooms sometimes due to the anxiety of playing around the other students when taking turns on the drum set in the main room.”

Shiro and Allura exchanged nods as they got out of the car. Keith, Pidge, and Matt also exited the back seats, and the five of them followed Coran into the auditorium. Matt and Pidge quickly went to sit down at the projection booth and took a look at the equipment Coran had set up. Shiro and Allura sat at the front of the auditorium where the judge's table would be and got their notebooks ready to jot down names of any drummers that might stand out to them. Keith decided to take a nap in the last row since it was the only one with connected seats. He shouted to wake him up when they found someone who’d be a good fit.

Coran hung around with the group until 7:30 pm, and decided at that point, he should get going to greet the students.

By the time 8 pm came around, only a total of seven students had attended the session. The band watched the screen on which the five different rooms were projected. They took a look at the main room and scanned the students on the bleachers. Shiro was trying to find one that stood out to him, but they group just seemed like a bunch of regular college kids. There wasn’t enough drive or emotion in their expressions.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

Everyone turned in the direction of the sound. In the doorway stood a tall man, with sepia skin and charcoal hair which was pulled into a small ponytail. He wore an orange headband on his forehead and a dark yellow long sleeved shirt which showed off his heavy build. Despite his appearance, his voice was soft and nervous. There was something about this new drummer. Shiro couldn’t put his finger on it, but in a room full of barely lit candles, it seemed his light shined the brightest, and it piqued his interest.

Coran smiled at his long time student. “Not to worry, Hunk. You’re always welcome! I was just explaining the rules and regulations again.”

“Oh, okay awesome, I’ll just take my usual seat then.”

The instructor raised his brow in confusion as he noticed no one followed Hunk into the room. “Lance isn’t coming today?”

Hunk set his bag down on his side and grabbed his drumsticks before addressing the professor. “Oh, he had to work an extra shift today at Quiznack Coffee.”

Shiro stared up in question. “They’re missing a regular drummer?”

Hunk continued. “Lance wanted to come support me like usual, but he’s been wanting this new guitar for a while now. He let his sister borrow his old one since she wanted to learn but there are scratches on it now. So he’s been saving up.”

 _Oh, he’s a guitarist. Interesting._ Thought Shiro.

“Oh well, I do hope to see him tomorrow then! Let him know we miss him.”

“Will do!”

“Now, you’ll all have fifteen minutes on the drum set. The same rule applies if you request a separate room. You have to be in and out in fifteen minutes. However, I suggest staying in the main room and watching your peers play because it will help with your own skills, but if you must, you can use one of the 4 separate rooms we have. Let’s begin now shall we!”

The first drummer got up to sit down at the kit, he plugged his phone into the speaker and put his headphones in. Coran had set up the system so that not only the drummer could hear the music going along with his drumming, but so that the band could also hear it as well. The kid had chosen a simple pop song and would fumble with his drumming. It was easy to tell he was only a beginner. The next drummer chose a metal song to play along to. He was not bad, but Shiro could tell, he held too much arrogance and pride. Several other drummers took to the kit, and none of their rhythms was the kind Shiro was looking for.

Finally, Hunk hesitantly arose from his seat and went up to the kit. The look on his face screamed worry and fear. It was evident to the guitarist that the twenty-one-year-old doubted his abilities. He took a few deep breaths, relaxed his shoulders and plugged his phone into the aux. Shortly after resting his headphones in his ears, he closed his eyes. [The](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hef2W-nYQkg) first chords of the song began. Hunk had chosen Burn it Down by Linkin Park, the drummer closed his eyes waiting for his cue. His entrance was flawless.

Shiro watched the drummer get lost in the music, it was hard to believe this was the same boy from a few seconds ago. Allura’s eyes lit up, and her mouth formed the largest grin. Pidge and Matt also had their eyes glued to their screen. Even Keith, who had been asleep for a good fifty minutes, had woken up and was curiously watching the drummer. Shiro chuckled to himself catching sight of his younger brother. He began to wonder if it was Hunk’s drumming that had woken him up or the fact that he used a Linkin Park song. Either way, the guitarist was pleased, Hunk’s drumming was like a breath of fresh air in that stuffy auditorium. As the song came to a close, Hunk delivered a strong improvised finish and waited as the last few chords faded out. Hunk slowly rose to his feet and pulled his phone out of the aux. He looked to Coran for feedback. His response was a reassuring nod and proud smile, to which Hunk smiled back. He let out a sigh of relief and walked to his seat with more confidence than before. Due to his anxiety, the boy had doubted his abilities as a drummer, but ironically, he was the best damn drummer in that entire room. Probably the best one Shiro had seen in his entire career. Hunk’s humility only made him all the better for it. The guitarist smirked to himself. “He’s perfect.”

 

* * *

“Hey, I’m at the dorms, and I noticed you weren’t here yet. What’s going on?”

“I actually don’t know. Coran let everyone else out already but told me to stay for some reason- Oh no, what if he didn’t like my drumming? What if he’s not going to let me come to the sessions anymore? Lance, I need your calming advice!”

“Okay, calm down. First of all, did you do anything out of the ordinary, break any rules? No, I’m almost positive you didn’t, because that’s my job, and I’ve broken pretty much every single one, and he hasn’t kicked me out yet. So there is no way you’re worse than me in that aspect. Second of all, we’re both extremely close to him, I doubt he would kick you out of drum sessions when you’re his favorite student. Whatever the reason is, it’s nothing you have to worry about.”

“All good points. Alright, you’re right, Thanks, man.” Hunk began to hear footsteps in the hall getting closer. “Okay he’s coming back, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Adios.”

Hunk quickly hung up the phone and stuffed it in his bag before hearing Coran’s voice. “Hunk, I wanted to introduce you to some friends of mine. Though I think you have technically seen them in person before, so this will be more of a personal introduction.”

The young drummer kept his eyes glued to the door and watched in awe as the members of Voltron all stepped into the room one by one. Hunk was frozen in place with his jaw dropped and eyes wide. Takashi was the first to cut through the silence, “Your name is Hunk Garret, correct.”

Absolutely speechless, Hunk shook his head and tried to think of words to say. At this point, he’d settle for any words. “I think so… yes-wait, yes yeah that’s my name!”

Shiro offered a warm smile. “Takashi Shirogane, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Coran moved to Hunk’s side and patted a hand on his back. “With Rolo out of the picture, the band needed a new drummer. So I invited them over tonight in hopes that they could find their new member amongst one of my students. Lucky for them, that happened to be you!”

As if in disbelief, Hunk gestured to himself. “Me?!”

One by one, each member shouted words of praise.

“Why yes!”

“Dude you were incredible!”

"Hands down, the best drummer in the room.”

Hunk began to blush at the compliments and rubbed the back of his neck. Shiro was the next to speak. “We would love it if you would be our new addition to the band. Our next gig is in four days, nothing too big, just a fundraising event for a charity. Of course, if you decline, we can understand and respect that decision-“

“Are you kidding me? Refuse the opportunity to perform with the most well-known band known to Earth?! I wholeheartedly accept!”

Shiro took a deep breath and let out a relieved chuckle as he extended his prosthetic arm out to their new drummer in a handshake which was graciously returned. “Welcome to the band, Hunk!”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So now you also know I'm Linkin Park trash) I hope you liked this chapter. I have so much planned for this story, lots of fluff, drama, pining, and klangst is coming your way my dudes!! Chapter three will really be the kickstarter to this fic and I can't wait to update for you all!! See you next time!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I may have brought in the feels a bit early but don't worry, they'll be more :3  
> Also if any of you are interested, checkout the link for the entire playlist for this fic. (It's not in chronological order)  
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxVOnK1C9XgHz2Uog4dKIVi7d-xT47MPJ
> 
> The songs in this chapter were "Chokehold" and "There I Said It" both by Adam Lambert.
> 
> See you next update!!


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